What features do you wish were in Arm?

Honestly? They need to stop having everyone's skills at chargen be crap. I get that it's to slow griefers down. Ignore them. They can always be flagged to start small. For every other player: why in the hell is every unsponsored character required to be a novice?

The longer you play the game without abusing bugs the higher your starting skill levels should be. Maybe affect it by age to keep out the obnoxious prodigy players. I'm serious.

Say your account's 2 years old and you're not a code abuser. Why not be able to start with a +30 to all skills? Because they would be too many useful people? Because every clan would become less basic-training-oriented and more clan-goal-oriented? Because older players might feel valued even if they weren't noticed for karma? Because the game is powered by grinding and the power would go out? Because someone might not take a few weeks off and quit when their character dies since they've been spared 20+ hours of bullshit before their new character can pursue its new character goal?

Maybe make it where you can pick how much of a boost it is. Cap the max based on account age minus penalties for code abuse.

I get the setting is from AD&D. that doesn't mean everyone should start at level 1. When you tabletop RP you do it WITH FRIENDS. If you die it's expected you'll REJOIN YOUR FRIENDS. When your new character shows up THE LEVEL IS COMPARABLE. That is entirely unlike Arm. Long-time clan members aren't supposed to rejoin that clan with a new character for a while. So say you die. You restart alone. At level fucking 1. Alone.

The only problem I can see is it'd be easier to give players favoritism. They already get boosts from favoritism now. They have for years. So I don't care that my suggestion would streamline on-going abuse.

Fair points. I'd counter that in Arm people seem to diverge with age. You'd wind up with more skilled enemies of each other in this mostly empty world. They'd still start over with crap resources and have to avoid rejoining their previous clan.

Also I haven't play SoI in forever but I remember it being less a less slow-paced, hostile environ game than Arm.

Unless you're already getting favoritism. Or playing a sponsored role. Admittedly the latter is somewhat redundant to the former.

Incorrect-- They figure out if terradin and perraine stack, and try to solo meks via anorexia.

Also, Dark Sun technically started everyone at level 3. This is poorly represented, if the case in Arm.

I'm just dropping in here to say that sponsored roles get godawful skill boosts. My sponsored sergeant(I'm not naming the clan) got beaten around by newbs because they had better stat rolls than he did. Couple that with a large inability to train and you're really better off starting as a nobody if you want to have a strong character.

Newbie PP steal is perfectly usable unless you have godawful dex (a variable that is largely within your control) or you are trying to steal things that are too difficult to steal (a variable that is entirely within your control). If you focus on coins and small inventory objects, it can even be difficult to generate fails from the very beginning. I've done it. Hell, I've had success at lifting coins, small inventory objects, and even some belted object with subguild steal and crappy dex. It seems like people have very unrealistic expectations of what a decent level of skill is. Of course if you start off trying for heavy items and things worn on belts, you will think that you suck. Of course there is a chance of critical failure. Do you think there shouldn't be?

I'm also certain that if any player with some longevity was allowed to roll up a master thief/assassin, you fuckers would be in here crying tears of blood and blaming staff for favoritism toward old players and the grave injustice towards newbies. (And you'd be right.)




If you insist, I can explain the implications of your post and the vast differences between tabletop RP and MUDs that bear on your idea. And I'll do it using your post.



You are correct that tabletop RP is done between friends, and in person. That is a difference. In Arm, you are also playing with many strangers who you may never know. Tabletop RP is primarily PvE. In Arm, the heart of the game is in PvP conflict.

So, you are suggesting a system, like tabletop, where when a PC dies, they "REJOIN [their] FRIENDS" at a "LEVEL [that] IS COMPARABLE". This is a bad idea for a Permdeath PvP Roleplaying MUD like Arm. Suppose you are part of a group of PCs that is engaged in a conflict with another group of PCs. You plot out an assassination of one of their key people. You pull it off, hurrah! Well, now they reroll a new PC and REJOIN THEIR FRIENDS AT A LEVEL THAT IS COMPARABLE. Do you see the problem yet? This isn't tabletop where you are playing against a bunch of monsters imagined by a GM. You are playing with, and more importantly against other players, who are pursuing their own goals. Under your system, the strongest PC groups would be the ones using those cheeseball tactics to negate the entire point of permdeath.



NO SHIT SHERLOCK. That's called permdeath, and that is what you are expressing a problem with. If you want to play tabletop, play tabletop. If you want to play a MUD where you don't have to restart alone when you die, go play one. There is literally nothing stopping you.

I see that the GDB is strong with this one.

I really don't know. I tried giving him the benefit of the doubt. He's clearly stupid.